For Medical Students

Are you a medical student keen on exploring, the outdoors, travelling the world and taking on challenges? Fancy getting involved with one of the finest organisations providing high quality medical care in challenging environments throughout the world?

It’s a no brainer isn’t it...!!

That’s what I thought when I first approached Exile Medics as a medical student – I wanted to know more about Exile Medics and how I could get involved.

Since then I have been on two Exile Medics trips to Peru and Sierra Leone, organised workshops at student conferences and have had a short piece published on the popular website Adventure Medic. All whilst I was a medical student ...

Exile Medics value their medical students and invest time and training in them ... something I found refreshing and exciting! Turning up for my first trip, I was pretty daunted to be the youngest and significantly most junior member of a highly qualified team. From day one, I was made to feel part of the team – I was allocated tasks and roles appropriate to my training so far, but was also challenged with new skills such as foot strapping, wound care and spotting the ‘sick patient’. The supervision was fantastic and during (rare!) quiet moments, I had one-to-one informal teaching from enthusiastic anaesthetists, surgeons and emergency medicine doctors.

What was my typical day like? Myself and a few other students have completed a day-diary from various trips we have been on as Exile Students (see below) – the days are varied but hopefully these will give you a small taster of what it’s like as a student on an Exiles expedition.

Some questions we get asked a lot- so we've jotted down the answers in the FAQs below.

The Exile Medics Experience is second to none – to say it is just ‘fantastic’ is actually doing it an injustice and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough to anyone. Now that I have qualified, I am excited to go on Exile Medics Trips as a doctor and use the skills I picked up as a student to help me tackle the challenges the jungle/desert/snow through at me! I look forward to seeing you all on trips soon!

Q. What year of medical school do I have to be in to join the Exile Medics team?

A. Students with some clinical experience are likely to gain more from spending time with Exile Medics on an event. However this is not an absolute requirement and we accept applications from students in all years of training.

Q. Can I join an Exile Medic expedition as a Paramedic or Nursing Student?

A. We do take paramedic and nursing students on some events in the Uk where our numbers are higher and the range of skills we need is wider. For overseas events, we can't take nursing or paramedic students. This is because our teams are smaller, so we can't offer nursing or paramedic supervision, and the skills you need when trapped in the wilderness is broad and experience based. However, once you qualify in your profession you are welcome to join any expedition anywhere.

Q. Is it competitive to get selected for an Exile Medics trip?

A. Because what we offer is a unique and fantastic opportunity for students, it is becoming more more competitive to get on trips – that said, we try to take at least 2 students on EVERY trip (and even more in some cases) so if you’re not successful the first time, KEEP TRYING! Your enthusiasm and commitment will be noted – it’s something we look for in Exiles!

Q. What do I have to pay?

A. As a student you will have to cover your transport costs to and from an event - whether this is driving to Manchester or Cowes, or flying to Cusco in Peru. There is an Exile Medics administration charge for all team members which is £100 – this covers all administration, 2 Exile Medics T-shirts and a certificate for your portfolio. For some events a training weekend is also included.There may also be a small additional fee put in place by the race organisers themselves – for example to cover transport in country. If this applies to an event it will be in the application summary so keep an eye out!

Q. What do I need to provide myself?

A. You will be provided with a kit list before each event but you should be aware of some of the basics that you will need to provide yourself. A stethoscope, a sleeping bag, a hammock (for jungle events), food (where not provided), walking boots/jungle boots to name a few. A good sense of humour is also essential!

Q. Do I need to do any pre-trip reading?

A. We have some great tutorials on our website which are a fantastic way to get you ready for your Exile Medics Expedition. If you’re after textbook reading, the Oxford Handbook of Wilderness and Expedition Medicine is also a good place to start but we would also recommend coming along to the the Exile Medics Annual Conference (usually held in October so keep an eye out!) – probably the best place to learn the tricks of the trade from people who have done it before!

Q. What do I do about insurance and indemnity?

A. You will need to provide your own travel insurance and arrange your own medical indemnity. This is a good idea – ‘just in case’. Ring up the usual suspects (MDU/MPS etc) as they usually have free medical indemnity for medical students on their elective – even if this is not your elective, it’s worth giving them a call.